Shelter Tails: Many hunting dogs being abandoned

Hunting dogs are filling our shelters, after being abandoned by their owners for being too old or for not performing, shelter folks say.

Mary Esparra

Hunting dogs are filling our shelters, after being abandoned by their owners for being too old or for not performing, shelter folks say.

"We get LOTS of beagles," said Goshen Humane Society Vice President Susan Bossley. "Most are very well trained and know commands. Each beagle that we've had has had the greatest personality, but most were a little timid. They may have been hit, kicked, etc.

"We've actually had hunters tell us that beagles will be dumped if they don't perform or have outlived their use. Last year we had at least six."

GHS currently has two beagles, Belle and Freddie.

Bossley believes 11-year-old Belle may have been a breeding dog. She was found on Maple Avenue in Goshen by police in an area where other beagles have been found and brought to the shelter.

"She was not spayed, is completely deaf and has Lyme disease," said Bossley. "She was not even close to being housebroken, but after being with us almost five months, she is almost there. She has a howl that sounds like a seal dying. She is as sweet as they come and is allowed to have the run of the shelter during the day but stays right by your side — very loyal. She loves people, kids and dogs her size or smaller."

Freddie is a 1- to 2-year-old beagle who "was definitely a hunting dog," said Bossley. "He knows lots of commands and has tags, but the NYC phone number was disconnected and his other tags are untraceable. He was found rummaging through a barn in Goshen. He absolutely loves everyone and his tail is constantly wagging. He wasn't neutered either."

Other shelters also get abandoned hunting dogs.

"Every January brought us an increase in beagles," said Canine Sanctuary Director Michelle Gorta, former manager of the Hudson Valley SPCA. "Some of the yahoos from the city that come up here to hunt usually lose their dogs. However, there are a few hunters here in Orange County who lose their beagles every time," she said, citing repeat visits by them searching for their dogs.

"We do get our fair share of hunting dogs that flunk hunting," said Humane Society of Middletown Manager Linda Maresca. "Most are not redeemed. If the dog is going to perform for them, they keep them. If not, they abandon them."

The inhumane practice of abandoning hunting dogs is not just a local one.

"Since we pull a lot of dogs from kill shelters primarily in the South, we see that they are flooded with hunting dogs," said Kerri Kelly, intake coordinator at Pets Alive in Middletown. "We do pull quite a few and find out that they mostly had been abandoned after hunting season is over and the hunters no longer have a use for them, particularly if they are a bit older or didn't perform well."